While high-temperature metal fabrication and joining processes are used in many different industries and to generate a host of different metallic parts, the extreme temperatures of such processes place many demands on the processing spaces and support structures utilized during processing. The joining of metal parts via high-temperature brazing (i.e., the joining of materials via a joint composed of a brazing material) is one such example, as the support structure on which the parts rest during processing must be able to tolerate vacuum or reducing ambients and extreme temperatures (e.g., greater than 1000° C.) without deformation or failure.
Conventional support structures for brazing processes include rack-like structures fastened together via welding or riveting, but such structures are typically unsuited for the extreme environments utilized in high-temperature brazing processes. Specifically, the materials of which such structures are composed may deform or fail when supporting heavy loads (i.e., the parts being brazed, which may weigh hundreds of kilograms or more) at extreme temperatures. Conventional support structures may deform under such conditions by, e.g., creep, and disturb the parts being brazed or even fail entirely, resulting in economic loss and reduced productivity. Thus, there is a need for improved structures capable of supporting heavy loads during high-temperature processes without deformation, failure, or reaction with processing ambients or metallic parts being processed.